Collection, taxonomic identification

and cropping methodologies

development for some species of

Capsicum in Bolivia

Teresa Avila1, Margoth Atahuachi1, Ximena Reyes1, Tito Claure1

and Maarten Van Zonneveld2 1 Centro de Investigaciones Fitoecogeneticas de Pairumani, Bolivia

2 Bioversity International, Colombia

C. annuum

C. baccatum

C. chinense

C. frutescens

C. pubescens

C. caballeroi

C. cardenasii

C. ceratocalyx

C. chacoense

C. eximium

C. minutiflorum

Bolivia is Center of Origin for the genus Capsicum, having a

wide genetic diversity. The Pairumani Phytoecogenetic

Research Center (CIFP) has a working collection of cultivated

and wild species collected in the whole country.

New collecting missions

In the workframe of the project “Rescue and

promotion of native hot-peppers in their centers

of origin”, financed by the GIZ and being carried

by partners from Bolivia, Peru, Germany and

Bioversity International, there were carried out

four collecting missions in order to enrich the

current collection with new species recently

described and also to cover some areas where

no collects were done before.

There were four collecting missions: 1) the dry valleys of

Chuquisaca and Cochabamba, 2) the valleys of Santa Cruz, 3)

the low-lands of Santa Cruz and 4) in the Yungas of La Paz.

Yungas of La Paz

Dry valleys of Cochabamba

Valleys of Santa Cruz

Fruits and herbarium samples were collected from 109 ecotypes belonging to the cultivated specie Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum and to the wild species: Capsicum eximium, C. caballeroi, C. chacoense, C. baccatum var. baccatum, C. minutiflorum, C. ceratocalyx and C. cardenasii.

Collected samples

The cultivated hot-pepper

samples were obtained from

the farmers’ backyards and

family gardens.

The wild ecotypes were

collected mainly within native

vegetation, although C.

ceratocalyx was found within

coca plantations even tough

not so frequently.

Farmers don’t plant wild

species, they just collect the

fruits for their consumption and

some plants are found

surrounding their houses.

According to the farmers, C. baccatum var. baccatum, C.

eximium and C. cardenasii are appreciated by their special

flavors and the fruits collected are sold on cities, where they

have a growing demand.

Taxonomic identification was done from plants grown in the

field. Herbarium samples were taken, and these together

with the plant samples taken from the field trips, were

studied to confirm their taxonomic identity.

Problems for taxonomic identification.

These samples were deposited on the “Martin Cardenas’

National Herbarium” in Cochabamba City (Bolivia).

Taxonomic identification

There is a wide

variation in shapes

and colors for fruits

Refreshment and multiplication

The new collected accessions as well as the collection

conserved in the CIFP, were both planted for refreshment

and multiplication at three locations, according to their

corresponding native environment:

• Valleys above 2000 m.a.s.l. (Cochabamba)

• Meso-termic valleys between 1000 - 1400 m.a.s.l.

(Mairana)

• Tropical low-lands below 700 m.a.s.l. (Santa Cruz)

.

The accessions were characterized trough morphological

records using Bioversity (IPGRI) descriptors for Capsicum.

Morphological characterization

• The wild types have shown cropping characteristics different

than the cultivated ones e.g. longer germination time, longer

vegetative period and also a longer time up to fruiting, even

tough in some cases the wild types didn’t produced any fruit

even a year after planting.

Cultivating wild species

• Cropping methodologies

were adjusted, including

seedling conditions and

transplant.

First transplant

Field planting

Growing plants

Fruiting plants

Fruit drying

Biochemical analysis

Biochemical profile was done on representative samples of the collection.

Wuppertal University, Germany

There were found some accessions with remarkable biochemical

characteristics as high Fat g/100g as indicator for high vitamin E content.

Also high Vitamin C content and antioxidants, among other characteristics.

• There was developed a modified DNA

extraction method, suitable for the local

materials collected.

• All the 390 accessions were amplified using 20

microsatellites and visualized on polyacrylamide

gels at 4%.

• Results will be used for a diversity study, and

will be compared to morphological

characterization and geographical distribution.

Molecular analysis

Molecular analysis

• Before the project there are 387 accessions

maintained in CIFP´s work collection.

• With the project, 109 new accessions were added

including new species and wild relatives.

• The whole work collection was morphologically

and molecularly characterized.

• There was done a pre-breeding work, selecting 35

accessions, and from those it is expected to

release 5 accessions for farmer’s use.

Conclusions

Thank you

t.avila@fundacionpatino.org